Chalk Zone: The Second Generation
by Katie Mae
Summary: Rudy and Penny have a daughter named Aurora, and she has inherited her father's artistic talent. Unfortunately, someone is wreaking havoc on Chalk Zone, and it's up to her to save it! AuroraOC romance contained within! Watch out for flying fluff!
1. chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Chalk Zone or any affiliated characters. It all belongs to Nickelodeon. All I own is Samantha Bullnerd, Regina Bullnerd, Aurora Tabouti (spelling?), Dylan Jones, Dusty, and Lilly. 

A/N: Hey, everyone! May here, just checking things out in Nickelodeon! .^_^. My other fic is Disney, so I thought I'd write a story for the other channel! Anyway, this is a semi-romantic story about Rudy and Penny Tabouti's daughter, Aurora, and her adventures in Chalk Zone. This is my first Chalk Zone fic, so go easy on me. Now, on with the story!

Chalk Zone: The Second Generation (Better Title appreciated)

By: May Oak

Chapter 1: Aurora

Fifteen Years Ago 

_*** Chalk Zone ***_

Rudy Tabouti paced impatiently around Chalk Zone Hospital, checking his watch every few minutes. Rudy, now at age 24, was a very famous artist. He worked in all mediums, but was most famous for his chalk drawings, both in the real world and in Chalk Zone. About five years ago, Snap, his best friend and very own creation, had complained about being lonely, so Rudy drew him a wife using a piece of his magic chalk. Her name was Dusty, and she was a tall brunette wearing a red version of Snap's outfit, which was a dress for her. The two of them sat in chairs, watching Rudy wear a hole in the floor of the waiting room. Dusty was holding a bundle of blankets in her arms, which contained a newly drawn baby girl, named Lilly. 

Now that Rudy was such an exceptional artist, there was no reason to have to draw the people in every stage of life. It seemed as though the magic chalk gave them the ability to change with the progression of time. This wasn't discovered until ten years ago. Snap had come out of Chalk Zone with Rudy, and had been erased when Mrs. Tabouti accidentally sprayed the both of them with the hose. Rudy hurriedly got back into Chalk Zone and redrew him. Thankfully, he remembered everything _except_ for what happened after he came out of Chalk Zone. Since then, Snap grew at the same rate as Rudy, putting them both at 5'11". Snap, in true superhero fashion, had muscles on top of muscles, while Rudy was simply muscular.

"Rudy, you can come in now," a chalk nurse said. "Please bring the chalk with you. Some of the doctors and nurses need new arms because of the blood," she told him with a smile on her face. Every doctor and nurse at the hospital knew Rudy, as he was the one who had drawn him or her.

"All right, Gladys. Tell her I'm on my way," Rudy said. As Gladys walked away, Snap and Dusty stood up and walked over to him.

"Rudy, can you believe it? You're a father," Dusty said. 

"Yeah, Rudy. Now you and I can gripe to each other about having to wake up at 2 in the morning to feed the baby. Anyway, congratulations. You're going to be a great dad. Now, go on in there and see your wife. We'll come in soon," Snap added.

Rudy walked down the hall to the maternity ward. Finding the right room, he saw his beloved, with her hair plastered to her head and a red face.

"Hello, Penny. So, how is he or she?" Rudy asked

Penny Tabouti replied, "_She_ is doing fine. What should we name her? We talked about the name Jane, but…."

"How about something a little more…radical?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, before you went into labor, I read in the newspaper about the aurora borealis being visible this week. How about the name Aurora?"

"Hmm," Penny replied. "Aurora Tabouti. I like it. Hey Snap, Dusty, what do you think about Aurora Tabouti?" Penny asked them as they walked through the door.

"Aurora Tabouti…now, that's a good name. Why couldn't we name our daughter something like that, Snap?" Dusty said.

"Well, the name Lilly was _your_ idea, Dusty, not mine. _I _wanted to name her Selena, but you said 'No'," answered Snap.

"Anyway," Rudy said. "Penny and Aurora both need their rest, so I suggest we leave now. We'll come back in a few hours," he told Penny as he kissed her on the forehead. 

"Rudy?" Penny called as he opened the door.

"Yeah?" he answered.

"I love you."

Rudy smiled. "I love you, too."

Oh, how fluffy! How sweet! (Grabs box of tissues to blow nose) How romantic! (Starts crying, abruptly stops and clears throat) Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! Chapter 2 is another flashback, then the real story will start in Chapter 3. If you don't like it, I don't care! The foundation has to start somewhere! (Hey, that rhymes!) Well, TTFN! Ta-Ta For Now!

May Oak  ^_^     


	2. chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Chalk Zone or any related characters. I never claimed to. I never have. I never will. End of story

Well, what did you think of chapter 1? This is (unfortunately) another flashback. However, without them, you won't understand the story at all (that is, unless you are reading my mind as I type and you are seeing the ideas in my head. In that case, * shivers uncontrollably * GET OUT OF MY BRAIN!!!!) Sorry about that. Anyhoo, this is chapter 2, and it introduces Regina, or Regi, Bullnerd, as well as Dylan Jones. Both have vital parts in the subsequent chapters. Well, here we go!   

Chapter 2: New Student

Eight years ago 

"Hey! Give that back!" Seven-year old Aurora yelled as Regina Bullnerd stole her blue crayon from her easel. "I was just about to use that!"

"Poor little Aurora! It's too bad you aren't as good a ar-tEEst as your dad. Maybe then you would have some friends!" Regi said menacingly as she ran around the room, closely followed by Aurora.

"Oh, really? Aurora said back "Well, it's too bad you look so much like your dad. Maybe then you would have some friends!" (Regi is basically a female version of her father, Reggie Bullnerd.) With that, Aurora pulled the blue crayon out of Regina's hand, turned around, and walked back to the easel to continue her drawing. 

Suddenly, the teacher walked in with a young boy wearing blue jeans, a denim jacket over a red T-shirt, and whitish-gray tennis shoes. He had brown hair and light brown eyes that clearly conveyed his nervousness. His skin was very tan, as if he spent most of his time outside. Aurora caught his eye, and smiled. Seeing that she was friendly, he grinned back. 

"Class, settle down now. We have a new student. I would like you all to meet Dylan Jones. He's from Louisiana. Would you like tell the class anything about yourself?"

"Hi, y'all," Dylan spoke clearly, with a slight southern accent in his voice. "I'm Dylan. I just moved here from New Orleans, Louisiana. I'm eight years old, and I like art and to play my guitar."

"You like art?" Aurora asked. "I do, too."

"Aurora, thank you for volunteering," Mrs. Sanchez said. "You will show Dylan around the school and help him get comfortable with the third grade here, all right?"

Aurora answered, "Yes, Mrs. Sanchez."

"Now, everyone should be about finished with their pictures; that is, except for Aurora. Would you like to take it home to finish, or leave it here for Monday?"

"I would prefer to take it home, because my daddy will probably let me use his crayons."

"All, right. Why don't you show Dylan around the classroom? Perhaps get him a spelling book from the shelf?" Mrs. Sanchez motioned toward the opposite end of the room, where a large bookshelf took up half the wall. 

"Come with me, Dylan. We'll have you all set up in a New York minute." Aurora said as she grabbed Dylan's hand and practically dragged him to the easels. "Now, this is the art center, where I spend most of my free time. This is Regi's picture, and this one is mine. It's not finished yet, though." The picture in question was a beautiful crayon drawing of a landscape as seen from a farmhouse window, complete with sash. 

"Wow," was all Dylan could say.

"Come on. We have to get you your books. Let's see, you're eight, right?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I just like to see how many people are older than me. So far, I'm the youngest person in the third grade. I just turned seven about a week ago."

"Really? Well, Happy Birthday. Did you have a big party?"

"No. I…don't have many friends here at school. For some reason, nobody seems to like me, and I don't know why."

"Well," Dylan said, "You're a very talented artist. Just out of curiosity, are you related to any famous artists?"

"Actually, my daddy is Rudy Tabouti."

"No way! You mean THE Rudy Tabouti's your papa? That's so cool! Could I get his autograph? Or maybe a picture?"

"Of course! However, you'll have to wait until next week, because he's in Los Angeles for a show. Hey, I just remembered! Next Friday is Parent's Day, and he and my mom are both coming in. You'll get to meet him then."

"That's awesome! Hey, what does your mom do?"

"She's a particle physicist."

"What's that?"

"I don't know.  She once told me that she studies atoms, protons, neutrons and electrons, but that's gibberish to me. Sounds like baby talk, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, it sounds just like something Jessica would say."

Aurora looked confused. "Who's Jessica?"

Dylan replied, "She's my baby sister. She's only a year old."

"Oh, okay."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aurora and Dylan continued to get to know each other for the rest of the day, and soon became the best of friends. They would stick up for each other when Regina came around, and Aurora managed to get Dylan and his father, who is an art dealer, a behind-the-scenes look at Rudy's studio and upcoming projects. Not only did Dylan get an autographed picture, he also received a charcoal portrait of himself that Rudy drew while they were at the studio. All in all, Aurora and Dylan greatly enjoyed the next eight years. Little did they know that something was coming that nobody expected—something dangerous to Chalk Zone. Something deadly.

Well, what did you think? I need to know what you thought of it so I know whether to keep going or stop. If I'm going to know that, I need you to review. So, either e-mail me at the address on my Bio page, or click the little "Review" button at the bottom of the screen. Thanks!

May Oak ^_^ 


	3. chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Chalk Zone or any affiliated characters. Only those characters not recognized from the story are mine, as well as the plot.

Author's Note:

If Aurora seems a bit stuck up, I'm sorry. I am writing her much like I was at that age: too smart for her own good (of course, I'm still like that, but that isn't important right now.) I figure that she would have traveled all over with her parents, as her father is a world-famous artist and her mother is a particle physicist who works with scientists throughout the world. That's why she knows so much, and is also why she has no friends. If you ask me, her classmates wouldn't like her, considering she is gone a lot and she's a year younger than her fellow students (she skipped first grade.) Dylan is her friend because they are in the same boat. Dylan's father takes him all over the world whenever he has to leave to see a work of art, as he is a private art collector and works for a museum.

Now that that's all done, on with the story!

Chapter 3: Chalk Zone

Present Day 

_***Chalk Zone***_

Rudy Tabooty ran his hands through his hair in frustration. His daughter, who would be 15 in a few days, had almost caught him going into Chalk Zone—again. As a matter of fact, it was the fifth time in as many weeks that she had almost discovered the secret that Rudy and Penny had kept from her for all these years, until they were sure that she had the talent necessary to prevent chaos from ensuing if she tried to draw anything. As it was, Rudy would disappear right after Aurora would erase any chalk drawing that she made, only to return hours later without a word of explanation. Usually he was happy when he returned, but there were some days that he returned sombrely, his lips clamped in a thin line. These days, however, it wasn't only Aurora's drawings he was worrying about. It seemed that an unusual amount of dangerous drawings were appearing every day. Snap could usually control most of them, but Rudy would visit once every few days just in case. Rudy could tell that the drawings were coming from the same person; there were certain tendencies that every drawing contained, such as using spirals to color eyes, or drawing abnormally large noses.

Snap walked over to Rudy and placed his glove on Rudy's shoulder.  

"Don't worry, buddy. We'll find out who's responsible for this. Now, Why don't you go back home and visit your family. Speaking of which, I want to see Aurora again. Lilly is anxious to see Aurora again, too. She hasn't had a chance to since they were three, and Aurora is going to have to find out about Chalk Zone eventually. You know that she's got the talent, so why not give her a chance to help? Two artists are better than one; remember that. You go home. I'll clean up here."

"Thanks, Snap. You're a great friend," Rudy answered. "I'll see you in a few days. Will you be all right without me? If you need my help—"

"I'll use the portal in the basement. I've got it, I've got it. Now go home before I have to get Penny to drag you out of here."

Rudy got up and walked over to the portal leading into the master bedroom of his house. Just as he climbed through the hole, he heard the door open and a voice say, "Dad, can I talk to you for a minute?" 

Panicking, Rudy grabbed the eraser and hastily closed the entrance. He then took a deep breath and tried to sound calm while he said, "Sure, sweetie. Come on in." Placing the magic chalk on the chalk tray, he turned around to get a better look at his daughter. He noticed that she looked remarkably like her mother at that age—though she had his eyes and smile. Thankfully, Rudy thought, she didn't need glasses like her mother had. Now, of course, Penny wore contact lenses, but Rudy would never forget the short, brainy, eyeglasses-wearing brunette that he had fallen in love with at the age of eleven. Over the years, she had only grown more beautiful in his eyes. Aurora was like that as well. Her hair was more of a medium brown; a mix of Rudy's light brown and Penny's dark, almost auburn, tresses. She had her mother's looks and intelligence, and her father's artistic talent (however, Aurora excelled at more than art; she was a wonderful singer and also played the piano.)

Rudy motioned for her to have a seat on the bed. "What do you want to talk about?"

Aurora took a deep breath and said, "I was wondering if…if I could have a co-ed party for my birthday this year. I mean, after all, I am almost 15, and most of my friends either are guys or have boyfriends that they would want to bring. Also, Dylan has been _dying_ to see your latest work."

Rudy smiled when he heard the name of Aurora's long-time friend and confidante. Not only was Dylan a kind, courteous young man, he also had great talent at art, as well. He even owned several Tabooty originals that his father, a private art collector and museum curator, had bought for him. Hailing from Louisiana, Dylan still had a slight Southern twang in his rich, clear baritone. 

"Of course you can invite some boys, as long as you make a guest list that your mother and I approve of. Now, why don't we go get some dinner? I'm starving," Rudy replied.

"I'll be down in a minute. Mom sent me up here to get her book on the neutrino theory."

"All right," Rudy said. "Don't be too long."

However, that wasn't what Aurora was going to do. When she walked into the room, she had seen her father hastily erasing a circle he had drawn on the large chalkboard in the room. Unfortunately, not all of it had been erased. There was a small patch, about the size of a quarter, that hadn't been erased. Aurora walked over to get a better look—and was amazed by what she saw. A whole, living, moving world that looked as though it had been drawn from chalk was just beyond the hole. Aurora pressed her eye to it, and saw an old lady in a walking bathtub pass by, while a little old man that looked suspiciously like her grandfather stepped outside of a butcher shop. Stepping away, Aurora saw the chalk sitting in the tray. She could see it shimmer slightly, as though someone had put glitter on it. She picked it up and drew a slightly larger circle around the piece that was already there. After a flash of light, she discovered a hole large enough for her to stick her arm through. She tentatively tried it, and when she discovered that whatever this place was wouldn't hurt her, she drew another circle; this time, one big enough to climb through. Putting the chalk back on the tray, she slowly clambered through the hole. She found herself at the end of a long street, in a place similar to Chicago, or New York City. She heard techno music coming from a dance club, and smelled fresh bread from a bakery. She walked down the street to the butcher shop she had seen before, and walked inside. There was nobody in sight.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Aurora asked loudly. Suddenly, she saw a short, balding man with red hair speckled with gray walk out of the back room. 

"Hi, and welcome to my meat shop. What can I get you?" he asked, tying an apron behind his back. 

"Umm…how about some answers? I'm kinda…lost," Aurora said, trying to mask the nervousness in her voice.

"Lost, eh? Well, first, can I get your name? You seem kinda familiar. Do I know you?" the little old man queried, peering closely at Aurora.

"No, you don't. My name is Aurora. Aurora…Jones," She replied, using the first name that came to mind.

"Well, Ms. Jones, My name's Chalk Dad. Rudy Tabooty drew me. Do you know him?"

"Yes! Now, I have a question. Where am I?" 

"You're in my meat shop." He answered, as if he was talking to a five-year-old.

"Yes, I know that, but _where_ am I? Where is your meat shop?" she asked, getting a bit irritated.

"In Chalk Zone. The place where all chalk drawings come when they're erased."

"Even Moodles, my cow?" she asked, a bit afraid as to what could have happened to her cherished bovine drawing. Suddenly, the full realization of that last sentence hit her. 

_'Chalk Zone is real? I thought that Mom and Dad just made up the stories about this place. About Snap, and Biclops and Queen Rapsheeba and everyone else. Wow. I've got to tell Dylan… as soon as I find my way out of here.'_

"The yellow one that came last week? It's out in the pasture. Walk all the way down the street until you get to a dirt path. Take the left fork, and follow it until you get to a red barn. Snap should be there. At about this time," he looked at his watch, "he'll be taking the new arrivals to find their place in Chalk Zone. You should go with them, even though you don't look like any drawing I've ever seen." He grabbed a paper hat that had been sitting on the counter and placed it atop the crown of his balding head. 

"Thank you, Chalk Grandpa," Aurora said, forgetting for a moment that she was impersonating a chalk drawing. Thankfully, the old man didn't catch the last part.

"Anytime. Now get a move on. You don't want to be late."

"You're right. I don't. See you around." Aurora walked out of the shop, a new spring in her step. Headed for the end of the street, Aurora started to wonder what the rest of Chalk Zone was like.

*~*~*~*~*

Rudy and Penny walked upstairs to the master bedroom, looking for Aurora. Unfortunately, she was nowhere to be found.

"Rudy, did you close the portal when you came out last time?" Penny asked nervously.

"Of course I did, sweetie. Why do you ask?" Rudy looked at his beloved wife, only to see her pointing at the chalkboard, where a portal was clearly visible—one just big enough for a teenage girl to clamber through. His face paled.

"We've got to go in there. She could be in danger," Penny whispered, fearful for her daughter's safety.

"You're right. With that madman running loose, there's no telling what could happen," Rudy replied. "Thankfully, she didn't take the chalk. Let's go."

A/N: Hee, hee, hee. I wrote a cliffie! Next chapter: What will Aurora find in Chalk Zone? Will Snap recognize her? Will her parents find her? Read to find out!

I have a request. I'm currently working on a Pokémon songfic based on characters from the Pokémon: Sapphire video game. I need a song that is appropriate for a flashback scene in which the main character's father deserts her and her mother. If anyone has any ideas, please leave them in a review, or e-mail me the lyrics at sailorvfreak51489@yahoo.com. Thanks!  


	4. chapter 4

Disclaimer: see first three chapters.

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the long wait. Here's chapter 4! In this chapter, Aurora explores Chalk Zone, Rudy and Penny search for her, and Rudy finally reveals the full secret of Chalk Zone and explains why they've hidden it for so long. Enjoy!

P.S. Alas, I must concede defeat. I will admit that I was wrong, and that Nintendo Maximus was right, about Rudy's last name. It is, in fact, spelled "Tabootie". I will henceforth be using that spelling, and I will not stray from it. 

Chapter 4: Exploring the Zone

Aurora walked down the long street, heading for the edge of the "city" she had found herself in. Finding the dirt path, she followed it for about a mile. Suddenly, she saw a giant fork sticking out of the ground, with the path splitting to either side. She took the left path, just like Chalk Grandpa had told her. A few hundred yards down the road, she could see a large red barn and a long, blue locomotive. Standing in the engine compartment was a tall, muscular man clad in blue and white that Aurora assumed was Snap. In the different compartments were various chalk drawings, all looking very nervous. She could see a long, sharp needle, a large bowl, and two stick figures. The needle had one large eye above its "eye"; the bowl had four claw feet, like an old-fashioned tub; and the stick figures were, well, stick figures. She ran up to the man in blue, who, she could now see, was wearing a train conductor's hat.

       "Hello. Um…I need some help. I don't know where I am. Can you help me?" she asked.

       "Why sure," the man said. "My name's Snap. I'm in charge of the Chalk Zone Tours, where we help you to find your place. What's your name?"

       "Wait a minute. You're Snap? Oh, that's so weird! My mom and dad have told me _tons_ of stories about you. Umm…no offense, but I expected you to be…"

       "You expected me to be…what?" Snap said.

       "Well, I expected you to be smaller. Shorter. Skinnier. And without so much muscle," Aurora said. "Dad has always said that you were shorter than him the first time he visited here, and he was, like, eight. Oh, I almost forgot. My name is Aurora." 

       "Aurora? Aurora Tabootie? Wow, you've really grown. Tell you what. Why don't you ride up here with me while I do my tour, then I'll show ya around. How's that sound?" Snap asked.

       Aurora nodded eagerly. She had never ridden on a steam locomotive before, and was very excited. As they pulled away, Aurora stuck her head out the window to watch Chalk Zone whiz past at amazing speed. Soon, they passed the giant Quilting Quintuplets. The fourth one was yelling because she had lost her needle. The train stopped, and the needle got off.

       "Louise!" Snap yelled to the enormous woman. "I've got a new needle for ya!" Louise immediately stopped screaming and picked up the giant needle. It laughed as she threaded it and began pushing it back and forth, back and forth between the layers of fabric. The train started up again, but soon stopped at a lumberyard. The two stick figures hopped out and walked up to the foreman. All around, Aurora could see stick men and women working with the giant saws and other assorted tools. The best thing about using stick figures was that if an arm or a leg got cut off, there was a pile of spare circles, ovals, lines, and assorted geometric shapes that were perfect for replacing the severed limbs. Once they were settled, the train was once again on its way. Finally, the train pulled back into the place from where it had left. The bowl climbed out, obviously very depressed. Suddenly, Bathtub Granny and her tub walked up. 

       "Well, what have we got here? A summer tub? I love it!" The bowl leapt happily before running to get filled with water. Going behind a bush, Granny switched tubs mysteriously. When she came out from behind it, she was in her new tub, with a leash tied around the other one. They contentedly walked off together. With the last one gone, Snap turned to Aurora.

       "Well, I guess Dusty will wanna see you. So will Lilly. Why don't you come with me? We'll make sure you're safe. Chalk Zone is a dangerous place, especially lately. _Especially_ if you don't have the magic chalk."

       "What magic chalk?" Aurora queried.

       "The chalk you used to make the portal. Don't tell me your mom and dad haven't told you _yet_." 

Aurora shook her head, puzzled. "Dad and Mom told me stories about this place, but I never thought they were _real_. I just figured that they were made up. But when I saw that shimmering chalk on Dad's chalkboard, and I drew a big circle with it, there was an opening into Chalk Zone. I didn't even realize where I was until Chalk Grandpa told me."

"Well, then, we need to get you home _now_. There's some madman who's drawing all sorts of monsters to terrorize Chalk Zone. You're in danger."

*~*~*~*

Rudy and Penny walked into Chalk Dad's meat shop.

"Chalk Dad, are you here?" Rudy yelled.

The older man walked out of the back room, wiping his hands on his apron. 

"Rudy! Penny! What a nice surprise! What are you doing here?" Chalk Dad asked amicably.

"We need to know if you've seen a teenage girl with long, brown hair," Penny told him anxiously.

"Hmm, let me think…well, there was that one girl…what was her name…Oh! Aurora Jones. Funny name, don't you think? Anyway, she came in here 'bout an hour ago, looking for the cow pasture. She was talking about some noodles, or something like that. She was the strangest chalk drawing I've ever seen."

"That's because she _isn't_ a chalk drawing, Chalk Dad," Rudy said. "She's our daughter, though I have no clue why she would say she was related to Dylan." 

Penny, though worried about her daughter, smiled a bit at the thought. It reminded her of the time she had to pretend that Rudy was her boyfriend because one boy in high school wouldn't leave her alone. Of course, this was after their trip to the Hahamas, where they met the Haha Men and encountered the Smooch.

"Rudy, it's possible she was looking for that drawing of a cow she made a few days ago. She told me that she had named it Moodles, because of macaroni-and-cheese. The cow produces the milk to make the cheese, and this particular cow had markings on it that looked like noodles. Anyway, she might have used the name Jones because she didn't know anyone here and didn't want to be in danger by using her real name," Penny told Rudy. He nodded solemnly.

"You're right, sweetie. Let's check with Snap; maybe he's seen her."

"Would you like some meat while you're here?" Chalk Dad asked, completely oblivious to the conversation.

"Sorry, but we've got to go. We have to find Aurora, before someone else does," Rudy said. 

*~*~*~*

Snap and Aurora arrived a few minutes later at a large, opulent house at the better end of Chalk Zone. Snap opened the front door to reveal one of the largest foyers Aurora had ever seen—and she'd been to the homes of some of the most famous artists in the world. He walked in and a butler provided him with a scarlet-colored silk robe and a pipe. Obviously, Snap wasn't much of a smoker, because the pipe produced bubbles instead of smoke. 

"Ummm…Snap?" Aurora asked nervously. "Where is everyone else?"

"Oh, they're upstairs. Charles, would you mind getting Dusty and Lilly for me?" Snap asked the butler. As he walked out of the room, Snap told Aurora, "All of the workers here are volunteers, even though they get paid handsomely. I've learned that being nice to them works much better than ordering them around. It's a very nice system. None of us are too lazy to do stuff ourselves, so the maids and butlers are allowed to come and go as they please. For some reason, they'd rather stay here all day and all night than go home."

"Hmm, very interesting," Aurora remarked. Indeed, she had never heard of such people. She imagined that someone had drawn them, perhaps trying to come up with ideas for a cleaning service or other business. Their sole purpose was to work for whoever hired them. 

Soon after, a woman in a red outfit similar to Snap's walked down the stairs, a teenage girl in light purple close behind. The woman in red had curly brown hair hanging from under her mask. The girl in lavender was not wearing a mask, but had on the same style of clothing her mother wore, which looked like a longer version of Snap's "shirt". She looked to be about Aurora's age, maybe a few months older. Her hair was short, straight, and blonde.

"Who's that with you, Snap, dear?" the woman said curiously. "She looks familiar. Don't you think so, Lilly?" 

The girl came forward to get a better look at Aurora. "She reminds me of someone. I don't really remember whom, but I feel like I've met her before. She kinda looks like Rudy Tabootie, but not really."

Aurora spoke at last. "Rudy Tabootie's my father. My name is Aurora Tabootie."

"Oh, my goodness! Aurora? Oh, it's so _good_ to see you again! My, how you've grown!" the woman in red said happily.

"Whoa, wait a minute, lady. What do you mean, 'again'? Are you telling me that I've been here before?" Aurora was very confused.

"Why, of course! In fact, the last time you were here, you spoke your first word!"

"Really? What was it?" Aurora asked, suddenly intrigued by the reference to her personal past.

Snap stepped forward. "It was 'Blocky', which I still don't understand. How is it that Rudy's daughter's first word is the name of Rudy's first drawing?"

"Oh, please, Snap. You're just still jealous that Blocky got into the Tabootie Museum of Art and you didn't," the woman said. "You'll have to forgive Snap. He just can't stand it when any of Rudy's other drawings get more attention than he does."

"Dusty…" Snap seethed through his teeth. "Now isn't really the time, dear."

"Oh, yes! Of course. Now, what say we start looking for your parents? Hmm?"

Aurora was awed by their certainty that her parents were here looking for her. "What makes you think that they're even here?"

The lavender girl answered, "Mom and I saw them on our trip downtown today. They were talking to Rudy's Chalk Dad. They seemed really worried about something."

"Lilly, why don't you go upstairs and read a book?" Snap said.

"Oh, Dad, I want to go with you and Mom to find Rudy and Penny. Besides, Aurora and I have a lot of catching up to do!"

The four set out from the massive house toward the other end of Day Zone. Once they had thoroughly searched through Day Zone, they would move into Night Zone and continue the search. While Snap and Dusty were planning, Lilly was catching Aurora up on life in Chalk Zone, while Aurora was telling Lilly all about the real world, including everything about Dylan and the upcoming birthday party.

"Hey!" Aurora said. "I just got the greatest idea! Why don't you come to my party?"

"Well, I dunno. I've never been in the real world before. I'd have to ask Mom and Dad, and then your mom and dad would have to agree too."

"Well, it can't hurt to ask, can it?"

"I guess not."

*~*~*~*

While the three chalk drawings and teenage girl were planning their search mission, Rudy and Penny were doing some searching of their own. Snap and Aurora hadn't been at the barn, and there was neither hide nor hair of anyone at the train station.

"Where do you think they could be?" Penny asked nervously. 

"I'm not sure," Rudy replied, "But I know we'll find her." Rudy was trying to sound confident, if only for his wife's sake.

"Why don't we ask everyone to help us look?"

"Good thinking honey." Rudy looked over at his beloved wife, noticing that she had tears threatening to fall from her dark chocolaty eyes. He enveloped her in his arms, holding her close. He gave her a soft kiss, lending her his strength so that they could carry on and continue the search.

_"Aurora, wherever you are, know that we're looking for you,"_ Rudy thought.

*~*~*~*

"Queen Rapsheeba! Great to see ya!" Snap said jovially as they met the beautiful singer/actress.

"Snap, my main man! How goes the good life?" Rapsheeba replied.

"Just fine, Rapsheeba! This is Aurora. She's Rudy and Penny's daughter."

"Hi," Aurora said softly. She was more than a bit nervous meeting all of these new people.

"Hiya, Aurora. It's great to meet ya."

"It's nice to meet you, too."

After talking for a few minutes, Rapsheeba promised to give Snap a call on his cell phone if she saw Rudy and Penny. They continued their trek, only to run into Biclops a little while later.

"Aurora?" Biclops wondered aloud.

Aurora asked, "How do you know my name?"

Biclops smiled. "Your father, Rudy Tabootie, has told me much about you, Aurora. Did you know that he saved Chalk Zone from being turned into a theme park?"

"Really? That's so cool!"

"Yeah, but I was the one who did all the work," Snap added. Dusty slapped him on the back of the head.

"I may not have been here when it happened, but even _I_ know that that isn't true."

"Would you like to know what really happened?" Biclops asked. Aurora nodded her head eagerly.

Half an hour later, the story of Vinnie, his plans for "Vinnieland", and the love note from her grandfather to her grandmother was finished. Aurora was stunned. 

"Wow. I never realized Dad and Mom did so much to protect this place. So are they still helping out here?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Ever since your father was eight, he's been protecting Chalk Zone from the drawings of maniacs and ignorant children. He's been vital to keeping Chalk Zone safe," Biclops answered. "And when he met your mother, she immediately began to help as well."

Suddenly, Snap's phone began to ring.

"Hello…Oh, hey Rapsheeba…you found them…at the Chalklate Chip Cookie orchard…Okay, we'll be right there…later!"

"Queen Rapsheeba found Mom and Dad? Great!" Aurora said happily.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get going!"

*~*~*~*

"Mom! Dad!" Aurora joyfully yelled as they neared the Chalklate Chip Cookie trees.

Penny turned around at the sound of her daughter's voice. "Aurora? Oh, Aurora!" 

Aurora ran toward them, laughing heartily. Rudy caught her in his arms and kissed her on the top of her head. Penny then gave her a large hug. Aurora was content to stay in their arms, but knew that this tender family moment wouldn't last long.

"Young lady! What provoked you to just leave like that?" Rudy said severely. "We were worried sick about you!"

"Just so you know, you're grounded for the next month! School and home only! No computer or television for you!" Penny added.

"But…what about my party?" Aurora asked, afraid of what she would hear.

Penny answered, "Just be happy we aren't canceling it. But your punishment begins the next day, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am." Aurora breathed a sigh of relief. "Umm, this may not be the best time to ask, but…can Lilly come to my party?"

"Well, your mother and I will think about it," Rudy replied. Suddenly, he looked up to see Snap and his family standing a few feet away. He motioned for them to join in on the reunion.

"Lilly just asked if she could go to Aurora's birthday party," Snap said. "We don't see any reason why not."

"Well, neither do we. I guess it's settled then," Penny replied. "We'll all come together to pick her up. How does that sound?"

Dusty said, "That sounds excellent. It will be good for the girls to have some time together."

The other three parents nodded in agreement.

Hey, it's getting late," Snap said, looking at his watch. "Why don't we all go to the Fireplug Ballet together?"

"Sounds great!" Penny said. Rudy and Dusty agreed, nodding their heads.

*~*~*~*

Later that night, after the Fireplugs had returned to their posts as silent sentinels, Rudy pulled Aurora aside to speak with her privately.

"Aurora, I want you to understand why your mother and I kept this place a secret from you all these years. You see, your Aunt Sophie and I, well, as far as we've been able to tell, we're the only ones who can use the magic chalk that's found here in Chalk Zone. Only true artists can. Your mother and I wanted to make sure you were a true artist before we told you about Chalk Zone. Of course, we had told you the stories to prepare you for it, but we wanted you to think that it was just a made up place.

"Recently, there's been someone who's been drawing monsters to terrorize Chalk Zone. We don't know who it is, but we know that they are aware that Chalk Zone is a real place. We've been able to figure out that they're drawing and erasing the monsters deliberately. Even though these monsters are made of chalk, they can still hurt or kill us while we're here. Your mother explained it to me once, but I didn't understand a word of it. Something about our atoms changing to a pliable state so that we will be accepted here on a subatomic level.

"Now that we know you have real talent, it's just a matter of seeing if you can use the chalk." Rudy handed Aurora the same piece of shiny chalk that was sitting on the chalk tray at the house.

"What should I draw?" Aurora asked.

"How about something simple, like a flower?"

Aurora took a deep breath and held the chalk in front of her. Closing her eyes, she tried to draw a straight line for the bottom of the pot. She slightly opened one eye, only to see a brown line hanging in midair. She opened her eyes fully and finished the pot, then worked on the flower. Within moments, she was holding a small potted daisy in her hands.

"Well, that answers that question," Rudy said. "This is excellent."

"Yeah, just wait until Dylan hears about this!"

"Aurora," Rudy said warningly. Aurora read his voice perfectly.

"Let me guess. This is one of those 'I-can't-tell-anyone-because-the-fate-of-Chalk-Zone-rests-in-my-hands' things, right?" Rudy nodded his head silently. "Figures. I _finally_ have a cool job, and I can't tell anyone about it."

*~*~*~*

In a dark, underground laboratory, a man stood, drawing a horrible snake-like monster on a piece of sketch paper. He added the final touch; a large venom sac that led to the hollow spikes protruding from the monster's head and back. Satisfied with his work, the man set down his pencil and headed over to a large chalkboard. He picked up a brand-new piece of chalk and began to replicate his picture from the paper. He laughed maniacally when the chalk screeched, causing the large parrot in the nearby cage to squawk loudly.

"Hush, Sammy," a cold, raspy voice came out of the shadows. "All will soon be finished." The man stepped back from the chalkboard to get one final look at his monster. Happy with this latest monstrosity, he laid the chalk back in the tray. Another high-pitched, maniacal laugh escaped him.

"Rudy Tabootie, I hope you're ready for this one. Chalk Zone won't know what hit it." The cold voice held a note of glee.

*~*~*~*

Well, that's it for Chapter 4! I wanted to get this chapter finished before I left for Dayton this weekend. Think of this as a Hanukah/Christmas/Kwanzaa gift for you, the lovely readers! Without you, I wouldn't have a reason to write and post my stories!

BTW, 20 gold stars to whoever can correctly guess who the evil artist is!   


	5. chapter 5

Disclaimer: see the previous chapters. BTW, I don't own Coca-Cola.

Note: Hey! Sorry for the long wait for this chappie. This one is going to be Aurora's birthday party, including some chars of my own creation, a visit from our favorite chalk family, and a game of "Spin the Bottle"! Hope you like!

Chapter 5: Aurora's Birthday Bash

"So, Mom, what kind of cake did you get for me?" Aurora asked Penny eagerly. It was the day of her party, and the guests were slated to arrive in about half an hour.

"Chocolate cake with Rocky Road ice cream. That way, everyone will have plenty of sugar, though I'm not sure if that is a good thing."

"Thanks, Mom!" Aurora gave her mother a quick hug before going into the dining room and checking to make sure that the snacks and sodas were all ready for the guests. As she made a few adjustments to the arrangement of the bowls, Rudy and Penny walked in.

"Hey Mom, hey Dad," Aurora said. "Thanks again for letting me have a co-ed party."

"How's the setup coming?" Rudy asked.

"Just fine. Now, you two _are_ going to stay out of the living room, right?"

"Yes," Penny answered. "But only until eleven. Then we get custody of the room again. You and the girls can all go upstairs, but the guys have to leave."

"Are you saying that you're gonna let the girls sleep over?"

"Yep. We've already talked to their parents, and they've all agreed," Rudy said.

"Great! Thank you so much!"

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

"Who could that be?" Penny asked in a knowing tone.

"I don't know," Aurora answered, clueless. "I'll answer the door."

Aurora walked to the front door, opening it to reveal a teenage boy with dark hair and light brown eyes.

"Dylan? What are you doing here so early?"

"Well, your dad called my dad, and he said that I could come over early so that I could have a look at his new art; you know, before the party started."

"Oh, okay. Well, come on in!"

Dylan walked through the door, brushing against Aurora as he passed. She felt a sudden warmth where Dylan's arm had grazed hers, and she couldn't explain why she had enjoyed the abrupt floating feeling in her stomach that had accompanied it. She'd had crushes before, she knew; this feeling wasn't unfamiliar, but she'd never encountered it when Dylan was concerned. Aurora ignored it and continued setting up for the party.

"Dylan, it's so good to see you again!" Penny said happily as the teenage boy walked into Rudy's office/art studio.

"Thanks, Mrs. Tabootie. When Mr. Tabootie invited me to check out his work, I came right over."

"Dylan, you're here! Perfect timing. I just put the finishing touches on my latest painting." Rudy led Dylan over to an easel, where a painting of two couples was sitting. Dylan didn't notice Penny walk out of the room, so absorbed in the painting was he.

In the first couple, the girl had dark brown hair and brown eyes with glasses. The boy had lighter brown hair and green eyes. The two were locked in a loving embrace, staring into each other's eyes. They stood under an oak tree near a brook, and on the tree you could see the letters RTPS surrounded by a heart.

(AN: hint, hint! If you don't get it, you're denser than I thought!)

The other couple was walking down a nearby country road, hand in hand. The girl looked like a mix of the first two people, almost as if she was related to them. The boy seemed very familiar to Dylan; however, he couldn't quite figure out why.

"What's it called?" Dylan asked.

"_Lover's Lane_," Rudy said.

"I really like it. The people seem really familiar to me. Are they based on people you know?"

"I suppose you could say that." Rudy smiled broadly.

Dylan studied the painting for a moment more before shrugging his shoulders. "So, what else have you been working on?"

"Aurora!" Penny called down the stairway. "Come on! We've got to go pick up Lilly!"

"Coming, Mom!" Aurora called back. Aurora walked upstairs to her parent's room.

"You have to draw the portal," Penny said. "You're the artist, after all."

"All right." Aurora grasped the magic chalk firmly in her hand and drew a large hole on the chalkboard next to her parents' bed. Snap's head popped through the hole, startling Aurora and causing her to jump backwards.

"Hey, Penny, Aurora. Lilly's right here." He stepped aside to reveal the blonde teenager. "Come on in!"

Aurora and Penny clambered through the hole and into Chalk Zone. Aurora immediately approached Lilly and the two began to talk. Meanwhile, Penny was discussing some things with Snap and Dusty.

"We'll have her back at eleven o'clock, real world time. Is that okay with you?"

"That's fine," Dusty said. "We put plenty of food in her knapsack, so she should be all set for the evening."

"Great!" Penny said. She got the attention of the two teenagers and herded them through the portal into the real world. Aurora noticed that, unlike she had originally thought, Lilly was completely three-dimensional. Nobody would be able to tell that she came from a two-dimensional world made from chalk.

"Well, it's five minutes before six," Penny announced. "Aurora, why don't you go downstairs and wait for your guests while I give Lilly the 'grand tour'?"

"Sounds good!" Aurora walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs while Penny showed Lilly around the second floor.

"Hey, 'Rora!" Jaclyn Roberts said as she walked through the front door, sleeping bag and overnight bag in tow. "Happy Birthday!"

"Thanks, Jackie!" Aurora replied. She held the door open for Harold Sawyer, Jaclyn's boyfriend, who was carrying two rather large gifts. Once he was inside, he placed them on the floor in the pile of gifts that already stood as tall as Aurora's knees.

"Well, I think that's everyone!" Aurora announced, looking at the assorted faces around her.

"Wait, where's Dylan?" Susan Gilbert asked. "He should have been here by now."

"He's here. He's upstairs, looking at some of my dad's artwork."

"Oh, okay."

Suddenly, Rudy, Penny, Dylan and Lilly all walked downstairs. Aurora grabbed Lilly's hand and dragged her over to the group of teens.

"Everyone, this is Lilly. She's the daughter of one of my father's friends. I invited her today so that she could get to know the people here better, since she's living nearby." Everyone expressed a different version of "Hi, welcome to the neighborhood" toward Lilly.

Lilly simply smiled and said, "Thank you so much. Ever since I met Aurora a few days ago, I feel like we've become pretty good friends. I hope that you will give me the same opportunity."

"Well, as soon as the pizza gets here, we can get this party started!" Aurora said happily. As if on cue, the doorbell rang. Everyone got quiet for a moment, then yelled, "PIZZA!!!" Rudy left the room to go retrieve the pizzas, while Penny handed out plates and napkins.

"Remember," Penny said, "No pizza or dark soda in the living room. You make the mess, you clean it up."

"Yes, ma'am," everyone said in unison. All of the teens lined up as Rudy re-entered the living room/dining room, making sure that Aurora was in the front.

When everyone had eaten their fill of pizza and, later, cake and ice cream (Lilly had eaten one of her chalk sandwiches from her bag), they sat down and tried to decide what to do next.

"We could watch a movie," Kim Lawson, a stocky African-American with dyed blonde hair, suggested. She said this as she snuggled on the loveseat with her boyfriend, a tall, athletic African-American baseball player named Shane Miller.

"Nah," Susan replied.

"I've got an idea," Anna Crawford said suddenly. She finished her bottle of cola and walked into the kitchen. The sound of running water could be heard as she rinsed out the glass bottle. When she returned, everyone's interest was peaked. "Why don't we play Spin-the-Bottle Truth or Dare?"

Everyone voiced their agreement; everyone, that is, except for Aurora.

"No, there's an uneven number. We're supposed to sit boy-girl-boy-girl, right?"

"It's okay, Aurora," Lilly said. "I'll sit out. I've never played this before, so I think I'd rather watch before jumping right in." At one point during the afternoon, Anna had told Lilly that the guests were trying to get Aurora and Dylan together, so she was doing everything in her power to get them as close as possible.

"Are you sure, Lilly?"

"Positive."

"Well...okay."

They sat in a circle on the hardwood floor of the kitchen, making sure that they were alternating genders. They arrange themselves so that every girl who had a boyfriend was sitting across from him, which left Aurora sitting across from Dylan.

"Well," Will Dalton, Anna's boyfriend, began. "Aurora, you spin first, since you're the birthday girl."

"Okay." Aurora grasped the glass bottle and gave it a hard spin with a flick of her wrist. It spun around on the floor, eventually stopping with its neck pointing toward John Hamilton, editor of the school paper and Susan's boyfriend.

"Okay John, truth or dare?" Aurora asked.

"I pick 'truth'," John answered confidently.

"Okay, now before any secrets are disclosed, let's agree that nothing leaves this room on pain of having your eyebrows plucked out hair by hair, agreed?"

"Agreed," everyone else said in unison.

"Okay. Now, John...how far have you gone with Susan?"

"Well...the farthest we've gone is...first base."

Everyone said, "Aww, man!", feeling cheated after being strung along like that.

John reached for the bottle and spun it. It landed on Anna, who chose "dare."

"Anna," John said, "You must...peel an orange and eat it...without using your hands." John stood and walked over to a basket of fruit on the table. He pulled out a rather large orange and handed it to her. "You can hold it with your hands, but that's it. Everything else has to be done with some other part of your body."

"No problem," Anna replied. She promptly bit into the orange peel with her teeth, grimacing at the bitter taste. Quickly, she ripped a chunk of the peel off and spat it onto a plate that Will had gotten for her.

Three minutes later, Anna had finished peeling the orange and was about halfway done eating it. When she was finished eating it, Will gave her a long, deep kiss.

"I've always wondered if someone tasted like oranges after eating one," he explained.

Anna spun the bottle, which landed on Dylan.

"Dylan, you know the drill."

"Dare," the Southerner said quickly.

"I dare you to kiss any one girl in this room, on the lips, for at least five seconds."

"All right, I choose--"

"Hey, I wasn't finished! What I was _going_ to say was that I get to choose who you kiss, and I choose...Aurora!"

"Well, I was going to choose Aurora anyway," Dylan said with a wink as he stood. "I don't want any of these guys to beat me up for making a move on their girls, and I don't know Lilly well enough to consider her. No offense," he added, looking at Lilly.

"None taken," she assured him.

"Well?" Anna prodded. "Do it already!"

"Hey, now, don't_ I_ get a say in all this?" Aurora interrupted, standing herself. "Can't we, I don't know, go into the closet or something?"

"Well, I _suppose_, if you're chicken." Aurora stepped forward and closer to Dylan, who also took a step forward.

"I'm not chicken, I just think that there should be a little privacy," Aurora said.

"Aurora," Dylan said softly.

"Yes?" she answered, turning to him. Suddenly, he placed his lips on hers, keeping them there for the dared five seconds. When he pulled away, they were both bright red.

"There. Happy?"

"Very," Anna replied.

Dylan spun the bottle, which landed on Aurora.

"Well, I think I'll pick...truth."

"Okay," Dylan said. After a moment of thought, he asked, "How would you rate the kiss?"

"What's the scale?"

"1 to 10, with 5 as average, 7 as great, and 10 as exceptional."

"Umm...2. No, I'm just kidding. Well...let me think...I'd have to say...8 and a half."

The guests all said collectively, "Oooooo."

"Really?" Dylan asked.

"Yeah. Although, there wasn't that much to work with. In order to give an accurate rating, I would have to kiss Dylan several times with varying lengths of time and a different amount of passion each time, then average them to give a mean rating."

Everyone but Lilly and Dylan groaned.

"Aurora," Jaclyn said, "We don't want to hear you go into scientific detail about how much you want to make out with Dylan. We want to play the game."

Aurora turned red again. "I don't want to make out with Dylan," she mumbled as she spun the bottle. It landed on Susan.

"Truth or Dare?" Aurora asked.

"Dare."

"Umm...well...oh, great. That last dare has me so flustered I can't even think of a good one."

"Hey! How about this?" Dylan stood and walked over to Aurora. He got down on his knees and whispered something into her ear.

"Okay," she whispered back. Dylan returned to his seat. "Susan, I dare you to drink a junk food smoothie."

"A what?"

Come into the kitchen with Dylan and me."

The group ventured into the kitchen and over to the table where all of the snacks had been placed. Aurora retrieved a bowl from one of the cupboards, and she and Dylan proceeded to fill it with such items as potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, cake, and even a portion of a leftover slice of pizza. They placed these items into a blender, along with some Coke and a large scoop of ice cream. When everything was in the blender, Dylan capped it and Aurora turned it on. A few minutes later, Susan was sitting at the table with a large glass of the concoction in front of her.

"Umm, do you mind if I drink this in the bathroom? I want to be near the toilet in case I throw up," Susan explained.

"Only if either Dylan or myself can be in there with you to make sure that you drink it," Aurora answered.

"Why is Dylan involved with this so much?"

"Because it was his idea. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No. I was just wondering."

Susan picked up the glass and motioned to Aurora to accompany her into the bathroom. When they emerged a few minutes later, Aurora was beaming, while Susan had a look of utter revulsion on her face.

"So how was it?" John asked, rubbing Susan's back.

Susan replied heavily, "Raunchy. Not as bad as it looked at first, but still raunchy. I'm surprised that I didn't throw up."

Dylan and Aurora high-fived each other in glee.

"Susie, you up to continue the game?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, just give me a sec."

When Susan and John sat back down in their places, Susan spun the bottle and it stopped on Shane. He chose dare, and was dared to chug three glasses of Coca-Cola. He did so admirably, only letting loose one enormous burp after finishing his third glass.

"Nice one!" John, Will and Harold said in unison.

"Thanks!" Shane replied.

At about 8:30, the teenagers all settled down to watch a movie. After much debate, they decided on watching _Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl_, which Kim had brought with her. Aurora and Lilly hadn't seen it, so they were quite excited. Kim, Shane, Anna and Will were all sitting on the couch; Susan and John had claimed the large recliner; and Lilly, Jaclyn and Harold were laying on the floor, which left Dylan and Aurora the loveseat. At the beginning of the movie, they were sitting on opposite ends of the short sofa, but by the time Elizabeth had been found by the pirates searching for the gold piece, Aurora was sitting quite close to him.

At the point where the true forms of the pirates aboard the _Black Pearl_ were revealed for the first time, Aurora quickly turned her head and buried it into Dylan's shoulder. She felt better when a comforting arm snaked about her shoulders; she didn't realize that it was Dylan's arm until she looked up and found that her face was mere inches from his. She blushed and, deciding to be bold, rested her head on his shoulder as she returned to watching the movie. _He won't mind,_ she thought. _After all, we're best friends._ A few moments later, she continued, _But is that all I want us to be?_

Well, I hope you liked it!!!

Next chappie: The girls have their slumber party! And more of Aurora's thoughts on Dylan!

WARNING: Major fluff ahead!!!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: See the previous chapters. I own my characters.

Note: This chapter is from Aurora's POV, and starts where Chapter 5 left off.

Chapter 6: The Slumber Party, Part 1

_Aurora's POV_

After the movie was finished, it was time for the guys to leave. We all said good-bye, and each girl gave her boyfriend a kiss of varying degrees. Before Dylan left, however, he took me out onto the porch to talk alone.

"Aurora, I just wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday," he began once we were sitting on the porch swing.

"Thanks, Dylan. You know, this has been one of the best birthdays I've ever had. I'm grateful to have such great friends that I can share my birthday with."

Dylan smiled and started moving the swing. After a moment of what appeared to be deep thought, he stopped the swing with his feet. "Aurora, have you seen your father's latest painting?"

"No. Why?"

"It reminds me of someone, but I can't figure out who. I feel like I should know, but I don't. It's bugging me."

"Well, why don't we go take a look at it?"

"Wait...there's something else I have to tell you. When we were watching the movie...well, I really liked it."

"I did, too, except for the parts when the curse was revealed and the pirates looked like rotting corpses."

"Really? Those were my favorite parts."

"They were? Well, it can't be helped; you're a guy. You go for the gruesome things."

"Actually, that isn't why I liked it." Before I could question him further, he stood. "I really have to go. I'll come over in the morning, all right? We can look at the painting then."

"Okay," I said, standing myself. Dylan turned away from me for a moment. When his eyes met mine again, I noticed something different about him. Then, like lightning, he placed a quick kiss on my cheek and took off. He stopped at the end of the driveway and said, "See you in the morning!"

"Bye!" I called back, waving. I was glad it was late; the darkness hid my blush and the night air cooled my burning cheeks. When I went back inside and up to my room, I saw that Lilly had gone home and the other girls had already arranged their sleeping bags. Anna was the first one to see me when I walked in. "So, what happened?" she asked as the others quicly approached to find out all of the details. The girls were the lionesses surrounding the gazelle named 'Me'.

"Huh?"

"What happened between you and Dylan on the porch?" Susan asked.

"Nothing," I replied, the blush returning to my cheeks.

Kim said, "You're lying. I can tell."

"N-no, I'm not."

"Yes you are." Jaclyn giggled. "You're blushing and stuttering. Those are two signs that you're lying, and that something happened."

Anna prodded, "So, spill. Give us all the details."

"Nothing happened!" I said adamantly. "We just talked."

"What about?"

"About my dad's new painting, and about the movie."

"Oh, I see," Kim said knowingly. "What did he say about the movie?"

"That he liked it, especially the parts when the pirates looked all freaky."

"Well, small wonder there," Jaclyn whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Well, that was when you would cuddle closer to him and bury your head in his shoulder."

I was about to protest when Susan said, "Aurora, don't even try to argue. We saw you do it, and we saw the look on his face. He was in Heaven."

I cocked my head to the side. "Really?"

"Really. And I have a feeling you didn't totally hate it, either."

"Actually...I kinda liked it. I felt really safe."

"Aww," the girls said in unison.

"Shut up!" I said, feeling the blush returning.

"Hey, why don't we go look at the painting? We can see what Dylan was talking about," Jaclyn suggested.

All of the other girls agreed, so we walked down the hallway to my father's studio. Sitting on an easel was Dad's latest painting. When I got a good look at it, I noticed that he had put himself and Mom as teenagers in the foreground.

"Aww! Aurora, this is so sweet!" Kim said, pointing to my parents. "Who are these people?"

"My Mom and Dad. RT stands for Rudy Tabootie, and PS stands for Penny Sanchez."

"Then, who are they?" Susan queried, gesturing to the other couple. I looked at the two teenagers walking down the road for a long moment. Then, it clicked.

"That's me! But then...that must mean...oh, no."

"What?" Anna asked.

"That's Dylan. No wonder he said they looked familiar. It's us."

The girls let out another collective, "Aww!" that caused me to turn red again.

"Does anyone want to listen to some CD's?" I asked, trying to get their minds off the painting.

"Yeah, sure. Why don't you bring the CD player in here?" Kim suggested.

"No. Why don't you girls just give it a rest? We should talk about one of your relationships," I retorted.

"Oh, please. Our relationships are old news. You and Dylan are the hot new topic of discussion, and we won't rest until we get you two together!" Anna said confidently.

"It won't take long," Susan replied. "I can tell something happened between you two. Did he kiss you?"

After a long moment of silence, I nodded slowly.

"On the lips?"

"On the cheek," I replied. "It was really quick, and he left right after."

"But still, it's a start. That means he's definitely interested," Jaclyn said. "Now you just need to get him to bite, and reel him in."

"Are we talking about fishing, or are we talking about Dylan?" I asked.

"I just meant it figuratively. I was using the fishing thing to represent what you have to do in order to get Dylan to ask you out."

"Oh."

"Now, when are you going to see him next?" Susan asked.

"He's coming over in the morning."

"Well then," Kim said in a southern accent, "we are just going to have to doll you up so that you can get his attention. You'll look sweeter than a Georgia peach when we're done with you. Make that a Louisiana peach, or whatever they're famous for."

"That would be crawfish." Kim wrinkled her nose at my remark. "What, are you going to do something from _Moulin Rouge_?" I asked.

"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Anna said. "Just kidding. But I think we can pull something together. We'll just need to raid your closet." The girls ran toward my closet, opening the door and cramming inside. A moment later, I could see various articles of clothing being thrown onto my bedroom floor.

Fifteen minutes later, I was staring at the ensemble the girls had put together for me. It was a pink tee shirt, white turtleneck, a dark blue hip-hugger jean skirt that went to about mid-thigh, and pink tennis shoes. "Well, what do you think?" Jaclyn asked.

"It's...nice," I replied. "But how about this?" I walked over to the pile and pulled out my favorite pair of jeans and a sage green, off-the-shoulder sweater, with white sandals.

"Ooh, that's cute, too," Susan said.

Anna relented, "Okay, you can wear that. But you _have_ to let us do your makeup and hair."

"All right, that you can do. Just try not to make me look like a tramp."

"We won't, don't worry."

"Good."

The girls spent the next hour trying to decide how to do my hair and makeup. When they were done, we all went down to the kitchen to make sundaes; since my parents had gone to their bedroom on the third floor, and the kitchen was on the first floor, we could be as loud as we wanted. Within minutes the kitchen was covered in various ice creams and toppings, and we all sat in the middle of the floor, enjoying our creations. "So..." Jaclyn began.

"What?" I wondered.

"What did his lips feel like?"

"WHAT!"

"You heard me."

"How'm I supposed to answer that?"

"It's easy. Just describe them."

I thought back to both kisses earlier that evening. Both had been far quicker than I remembered, now that I thought about it. But I could still tell that his lips were warm, soft, and tender. I told this to the girls. Susan smiled.

"Have you noticed him wearing lip balm more than usual?"

"Um...I don't know, maybe. Why?"

"He was planning this. Maybe he wanted to kiss you anyway, so the dare just helped him along. Then, at the point when he had planned to kiss you, it had already happened. Therefore, he kissed you on the cheek so that he wouldn't freak you out or seem too forward."

I stared at Susan. "How do you know so much about guys?"

"I want to be a psychiatrist when I get older. I've been studying behavioral psychology books in my spare time. It's all typical male psyche behavior; that is, typical for a sensitive, dreamy, artistic type."

I gave Susan a weird look. "Whatever you say."

Okay! Finally finished! I'm sorry this isn't longer; I promise I'll try to have the next part up ASAP. But I wanted to at least get this part out to all of you before you bit my head off. My writer's block is still going strong, even though I have a new _Danny Phantom_ story i'm working on. Watch out for it!


End file.
